Voices weigh in on Moulton Widening Project

Construction on the Moulton Parkway Widening Project is expected to begin this month. At issue for residents is the 180-foot netting that would be required to protect vehicles and pedestrians traveling Moulton between El Toro Road and Santa Maria Avenue from errant golf balls. The Moulton Smart Street project is part of a larger countywide effort to create better traffic flow by widening streets and adding more bike lanes. The Golden Rain Foundation has asked the City to re-open negotiations in purchasing land along the Village golf course. The Globe asked Laguna Woods City Manager Leslie Keane and Golden Rain Foundation President Lynne Dvorak to respond to four questions:

1. How will the 180-foot high netting impact the Village and the city?

Keane: The Laguna Woods Village golf course was constructed in the late 1960s-early 1970s before the City of Laguna Woods existed. We believe that it and the adjacent roadway were designed to the appropriate standards at the time of construction. Since that time, however, traffic on Moulton Parkway has dramatically increased and state roadway design standards have changed. The City is aware that golf balls are currently hit into the street; from time to time we receive complaints from drivers whose cars have been damaged by errant balls. Because the City is making changes to the roadway, we are required to bring it up to current safety standards. It does not matter if the changes increase the danger of errant golf balls; the roadway modification triggers the new standards.

The current proposal does not include 180-foot netting along the entire length of Moulton Parkway fronting the golf course. Instead, it includes four netting baffles, three of which are slightly perpendicular to the roadway and one which is parallel. The height of the netting varies from 60 feet to 180 feet. The baffles are from 100 feet to 150 feet long. Only one of the perpendicular baffles – approximately 100-foot long – has netting that runs from 170-180 feet high. The other three are 60'- 80' high (150' long); 80'- 120' high (100' long); and 60' – 120' high (100' long). The netting baffles are located in a manner to prevent errant golf balls from entering the roadway but not restrict golf play.

Dvorak: The 180-foot high netting will be 110 feet taller than the netting currently on Moulton near Gate 12 at its highest point, and taller than the 14-story Towers. Its associated maintenance costs, which the Golden Rain Foundation will be responsible for, will be quite expensive. For instance, the netting will have to be replaced every 10 years, requiring special cranes and equipment and the closure of lanes on Moulton, all at great cost to GRF.

2. Are there alternatives to the 180-foot netting still available?

Keane: The City and GRF each hired golf course architects to develop safety plans for the golf course. Together, they looked at a variety of alternatives, some of which had lower netting heights but which required lowering and/or moving the existing tee and reorienting the green. In September, GRF chose an alternative that included the 180-foot net and it was included in the construction contract. The City continues to review alternatives, but is approaching the time when a decision about netting size and location must be made.

Dvorak: On August 31, 2012 the City's golf course consultants presented six options, four of which included netting up to 180 feet in height. The remaining two options would have required 140-foot netting and closure of Garden Center 1. Most of these options also included moving and lowering the tee box. GRF's golf course architect is currently researching additional alternatives that would reduce the height of the netting, which GRF will present to the City.

3. What are the potential impacts of delaying the project?

Keane: This project represents the final piece of the Moulton Parkway corridor SMART Street improvements. The County has awarded a contract for completion of the work. Significant delays could cause the City and County to incur financial damages. If the project is not completed on a timely basis, $6.8 million in state and local grant funding for the project could also be lost. If that is the case, the City will have a difficult time competing for future transportation grants.

Dvorak: It is my understanding that the City is on a strict timeline from the County, and could lose grant funding for the Moulton SMART Street project if it were delayed. However, GRF maintains that a change order to the contract would not delay the project at this point.

4. Why is the widening project necessary and how will it benefit the community?

Keane: The Moulton Parkway Corridor project has been planned for more than 20 years; and traffic mitigation fees to construct it have been collected from businesses along the corridor. The Laguna Woods section between Santa Maria and El Toro is the last portion of this project. It will add bicycle lanes and sidewalks on both side of the street and dedicated right turn lanes into the Village garden center, golf course and Gate 16 area. This project is designed to improve traffic safety, flow and capacity on Moulton Parkway. Traffic models for Moulton Parkway assume that these improvements will be constructed along the entire length of the corridor. If they are not, capacity of the road could be reduced and subsequent development in the City impacted. Finally the project is expected to significantly improve sightlines for traffic traveling north on Moulton.

Dvorak: The City of Laguna Woods should speak to why this project is necessary, and how it will benefit the City. The Golden Rain Foundation does feel that the eventual widening of Moulton Parkway and the addition of bike lanes will provide a safer street and greater enjoyment for the residents of the Village.

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